When the moon tells you something, believe it
by Twinklelittleprincess
Summary: New, better summary: Ellie is a girl with a sad past and her life gets turned upside-down when Pitch tries to take control over her life and even kill her. Can Ellie figure out what Pitchs motives are and will she ever be able to see the boy again who once saved her life? Let me know what you think! :)
1. Chapter 1

I'm being followed. Every day and every night I can feel a person's eyes, knowing my every movement. I have never seen him, his always gone like a shadow when I turn around. I don't know what he wants. I don't know how he keeps finding me. I don't know if he's dangerous.

It's cold outside. I slowly blow warm air deep from my lungs on my stiffed hands. The clouds above me are dark and with my luck they will release the biggest snowstorm in history at any second. I tried running, but an icy patch by the crosswalk over the street almost made me fall face first and I had to slow down, something I really don't like complies with these days. I immediately regret going home alone from my friend at this time of the night. I had told her everything this evening. Right after school we had taken the bus over to her place and I said I had something important to tell her. She had first looked chocked when she heard the story about the dark eyes, luring behind every tree and corner, about the strange feeling of never being alone and the fact that he was probably watching them right then. But when I'd told her every little detail there was to tell, she'd started shaking her head and gave me this strange look.

"Ellie, do you realize yourself what you sound like? If I didn't know you I'd think you're trying to be funny for some reason." She giggled and shook her head again. I was taking a deep breath and tried not to be mad at her. If she didn't believe me, no one would.

"I'm just saying what I feel… I know it sounds weird, I don't have proof or anything like that, but I'm definitive sure someone is out there."

"Well, what does he want you, then?"

"I've told you, I don't know. I just can't relax anymore. I lie awake every night of fear of him sneaking in to my house and I'm doing worse at school every day as I'm sure I'll see him when I'm walking home."

"I see… I believe you have a lot of imagination for your age, Ellie. I know we liked to play about strange things and adventures when we were younger, but we're turning 18 soon and I don't think you should… "

"Never mind I said anything. I'm going home."

And so I ran off out in the night, angry and stupid enough to not realize I was all alone on the dark street. An easy target for any stalker to shoot. My heart start pounding faster and I can suddenly se unnatural movements in every bush and behind every fence. I start run again just as the first snow falls. I can feel him again. He's right behind me and tears of fear are floating down my cold cheeks.

"Leave me alone!"

I can't believe I just yelled that. Before I changed my mind, I turn my head around and immediately regret it. A pair of gray, cold eyes are staring at me from the shadows and I lost all capability to think. I want to cry and scream like a child. I want to scream for mom to come and save me but somewhere deep in my mind I know I'm alone. I have to run, it's my only chance.


	2. Chapter 2

Somehow I made it safely home. My legs feel like spaghetti as I've never run that far or fast before ever in my entire life. I quickly lock the door behind me and then stand perfectly still, listening to any noise at all that could come from outside, but I can't hear a thing and that's a huge relief.

"What are you doing?"

The voice nearly scares the crap out of me and I turn around just to see it's my little brother.

"Nothing, Max. I just… it's nothing", I say, trying not to look too freaked out. Max stands in the hall with his blue teddy bear, Mr. Yawn, in his arms. He looks confused and tired in his red pajamas.

"Why are you all out of breath?" he asks me and I clear my throat to win some time.

"I'm not", I answer him and smile like nothing is wrong. It doesn't look like he believes me but he doesn't ask any more questions about that. Instead he scratches his foot along the carpet and look at me with his puppy-eyes.

"Ellie", he asks quietly, "could you read me a story, please?"

"You were supposed to sleep a long time ago. How does it comes you're up at all?"

"I thought I heard noises under my bed…" says Max and buries his face in Mr. Yawn's belly. I smile at him and give him a hug. Then I grab his tiny little hand and follow him upstairs to his bedroom, which he shares with Hugo, his twinbrother, which sleeps in his bed.

"Max", I say quietly not to wake Hugo up, "There is no such thing as the Boogeyman. You probably just heard a mouse."

"Sure he exist", he says with big eyes staring at me. I shake my head and walk over to the bookshelf in the corner.

"Which story would you like to hear?"

"The story of Jack Frost", says he with a smile and I take the book from the shelf.

"I've read this story for you every night this week. Don't you get tired of it?"

"Not at all, and neither do he."

"He?" I ask while I make it comfortable beside him.

"Jack, of course. I've seen him, sitting outside the window and listening to the story you read."

I immediately freeze inside and stares at him.

"Are you saying you have seen someone outside our house? Someone with grey eyes?" I can only see the cold, grey eyes from the shadows before, staring at me. Max looks a bit surprised about my strong reaction.

"Well, he just comes to listen to the story, and I'm sure his eyes are blue."

I don't know what to do. Grey and blue are quite look-alike and something you easily could get mixed together if it's dark outside. If I wasn't the only one that person followed, what could he want? What could he possibly want my little brothers?

"Now read, please", says Max and opens the book for me. I take a deep breath and try to clear my head. I try to keep my focus on the story, but I can't help but look at the window every second, and every time I'm afraid he will sit there, listening to the story. Just as I'm about to read the part where Jack finds a frozen lake with playing kids, Max slowly grabs my arm and point out the window.

"He's here" he says marveled and I follow his finger with my eyes. I'm afraid to see him, in fact so scared I start shaking. But there's no one outside the window, just some falling snow and some frost shining from the glass.

"I can't see anything", I whisper frightened. Max look at me like I was lying in his face and I don't know what to believe. "Maybe you have a lot of imagination for your age…"

Just as I said it I remembered that those where almost exactly the words my friend used when she didn't believe me that night. She didn't even try to believe me, and that made me angry. Should I really do the same thing to my own brother? So I slowly closed my eyes and concentrate at the person Max claims sit on the other side of the glass at this very moment. I once did believe in fairytales, when I was younger. I believed in Santa clause and the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny and any creature you could name. But that was a long time ago. But I will try to believe, for my brother's sake.

"Jack Frost, I believe in you", I says and slowly open my eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

I take a deep breath and open my eyes, and I'm actually surprised when all I see is the same window that always have been there, without any strange, magical boy my brother claimed would be sitting there. I look at Max for an explanation but he keeps staring at the window like he was enchanted.

"He waves at us, but he looks sad", he says confused. "You do see him, right?"

"I… I…" I can't help but notice the desperation in his eyes. He really wants me to be a part of this game, this adventure of his and I feel sad for not being able to.

"I do", I suddenly hear myself say. "He's right there, isn't he", I say and point at a spot right above the windowsill. Max smiles at me and looks so happy I feel bad for lying. He jumps out of the bed and runs over to the window, but suddenly stops and his shoulders slacks a bit.

"Oh… he flew away", he says and turn around towards me again. His smiling face is no more and it seems like he will start crying at any second.

"Of course he flew of", I says and smile at him. As the bigger, protecting sister I am I feel the need to comfort him. "He probably have more important things to do than just sit here listening to stories he have been hearing hundreds of times before. But don't worry, he'll be back."

Max still looks sad but he nods and gets back to the bed. I continuing to read him the story about Jack Frosts adventures but can't let go of the idea about the boy outside our window.

The days pass by like a fog. Nothing new happens except the fact that my mumbling and daydreaming makes my teachers go crazy. They keep telling me I should but my nose in the books if I wanted to finish school with respectable grades, but I simply can't concentrate. The gray eyes are still following me wherever I am. I haven't seen them sins that night I ran home from my friend, but I can feel his present, almost mocking me for not realizing why and what he wants. Sometimes I want to just turn around and wait for him to appear so we can finish this weird game, but it always ends up with me running home like a scared little puppy. I know I can't allow this to go on anymore. It was acceptable when it was just me he wanted, but if he's the same person Max sees outside our window, I can't just stand here anymore, watching him take control over my family. I have to do something.

I have made up my mind. This day I would face him. I should stay outside the schoolyard then the schoolday was over and I would wait for him to show himself. No matter how long time it should take, I should wait for him and I would not run away like a coward this time. So when the last lesson was over I made sure to be the last one out of the classroom. Back at the lockers I take a deep breath to calm myself, then another deep breath, and another, and another.

"Are you having trouble breathing or what?" says my friend suddenly behind me and she looks curious. I smile at her and try to not be mad at her for not believing me, at least, she seems to have forgiven me for running of in the middle of the night.

"No", I answer her in a low voice. "I just practicing breathing. You know, if I should forget how to do it sometime." She laughs at my silliness and then wishes me a good weekend. I don't feel bad for not telling her the real reason why I was acting so nervous. She would just think I was crazy anyhow. I take my books and jacket and then bend over to tie my shoelace. I stay down until I'm the last one in the corridor, which doesn't take too long as everyone is in a hurry to leave and begin their free weekend. Then I stand up and leave the school. Outside is there snowing and no one is in sight. I have been thinking a lot about this moment and decided to try to meet this guy in an open area, like the schools empty parking lot. I guess that would be the smartest choice, as he would have to show himself not only to me but to the surrounding al well, which maybe would put me in a safer situation. So I walk slowly until I'm standing in the center of the parking lot, then I take surly the hundred deep breath that day and yells out.

"I know you're there. Come out here and tell me what you want me, you coward."

I didn't get any answer. The snow starts to fall in bigger flakes but I wait with patient. Because I know he's there. I know he have heard me. I can feel his eyes searching for me and finding me.

"You are quite a brave, young girl, aren't you?"

I turn around and see that the person who is talking to me owns the same gray eyes that have been following me for so long. He's very tall, surely the double my size and have black, short hair. His skin is in a bleach gray tone and somehow, he doesn't look human.

"Your name is Ellie, right? Or in fact, that's just a nickname. Your real name is Elisabeth", he says with a very calm voice, but it still gives me the creeps.

"What do you want me and my brothers?" I ask him and at the same time feeling my hatred against him rise. He laughs at me and turns around in a tornado of black sand. When it clears, he's gone.

"You can't run this time, little girl."

His echo is bouncing round the parking lot and I turn around, scared of what will happen next. An explosion from a car fills the sky with a loud "Bang" and smoke and I throw myself down on the ground, screaming with my hands protecting over my ears. From the big, black smoke comes another car, driving in a very high speed right towards me and I can't move. I've frozen in horror.


	4. Chapter 4

The car is coming right at me, but I can't seem to move a muscle. I want to scream but all that comes out of my mouth is a tiny "Oh…". The searchlight is blinding me and I can only hear the big machine, coming towards me. It will kill me if I don't move.

And just like that, I have a flashback. I don't want to see it because I've seen it too many times in my nightmares. I know what I'm going to see. I see a car, driving easily down the road in the dark night. In the front sits a man and a woman. The man is driving the car and he's quite irritated about the falling snow that makes it hard for him to see the road. The woman is humming along with a song from the radio and behind them sits a child. Suddenly the man shouts out in surprise and turns the steering wheel sharply, which doesn't seem like a safe thing to do on the slippery road. I remember I felt scared and I screamed. My parents screamed as well and the world turned upside-down. At this point, my flashback usually ended but when I saw the car, which came at me in this very moment, I saw something new. Something I didn't remember before. A pair of blue eyes. They were staring at me and I remember a cold breeze, which didn't make any sense as the fact that I was inside the car, and he quickly came closer, pressed me with his cold body back at the seat to protect me.

The fast driving car pulled me back to the reality and I couldn't move. Those eyes, how could I've forgotten them? I don't know what to do. I'm going to die and there's nothing I can do to save myself. I close my eyes and beg for it to end as quickly as it did for my parents.

Then, I feel a hard tug and he ground disappears underneath me. I hear screaming sounds from the cars wheels and another explosion.

"Jack Frost!" screams the evil man in anger from before and I suddenly know who rescued me. I open my eyes and stares right in the very same blue eyes from the accident from my childhood. The blue eyes belong to a young boy, probably around 18 years old and according to the angry scream, he listens to the name Jack Frost. The boy holds me safely in his arms, one behind my shoulders and the other one under my knees and it takes several seconds for me to realize that we are actually floating in the air, 50 feet above the ground. The distance make me gasp, grab his neck tighter and I look into his captivating glance again. Then he does something I never would have guessed. He smiles at me and sort of laughs.

"Don't be afraid", he says in a deep, calm voice and then suddenly dive threw the air in a wide circle to avoid a wave of floating, black sand, coming right at us. I feel the tingle in my stomach as we fly pass the cars that now is on fire and I get a glimpse of the gray-eyed man on the ground. He looks furious. Jack flies over to the trees behind the parking lot and carefully puts me down on a branch. I grab the tree with both of my hands and try to swallow, but my mouth is dry as a dessert.

"I'll be right back, stay here", says the boy and I nod, as it seems impossible for me to make any words come out of my mouth. Jack smiles at me again and then, he's gone. All I can do is to keep my grip around the tree and breath in and out, slowly, and try to understand what actually was going on. Did I just get rescued by a flying boy from a car that seemed to be controlled by a gray, non-human man and put down in a tree? I believe so. I don't know if I'm supposed to laugh or cry, but then I remembered the boys' words. "Don't be afraid", and I allow myself to relax a bit. I can't explain why, but I trust this boy. Suddenly, I hear another explosion from the parking lot and I grab the tree harder. What where those two… things doing over there? Then I see Jacks back again. He was standing on the ground, faced against the parking lot and I saw his profile. He was dressed in thin, brown pants and a blue hoodie. His hair was white as an old mans but the strangest thing that caught my eye was the fact that he didn't wear any shoes, not even socks, even though it was in the middle of the winter.

"Not this time, Pitch", he says towards the parking space and then lifts up in the air like it was the most natural thing to do. He's back by my side in a second and he holds out his arm towards me. I look at him, suddenly shy and don't know what I'm supposed to do. Thank him, probably, but I still can't make my mouth form any words.

"It's okey. I know it's hard to trust me, but you should really give it a go", he says in a playful tone and gives me that calming smile again. I don't have any problem trusting him, but I can't really say that either so I just let go of the tree, places my hands back around his neck and slides down in his arms again. Jack catches me with ease and then turns around towards the parking lot again. The man Jack called Pitch stands there, starring at us with his fists clenched, but he does not try to attack us again.

"This is not a game anymore, Jack", he says instead and his voice make it crawl along my back. "You will not be having fun this time, guardian. I will make sure of that."

I look at Jack and he doesn't look amused. He looks kind of powerful and scary as his eyes are filled with hatred against this man.

"We'll see about that", he answer and I feel the tingle in my stomach again as he rise up in the air, away from the school, the battlefield and the mysterious man Pitch.


	5. Chapter 5

I'm just an ordinary girl. I'm not special and I'm not trying to be that either. I just randomly stumbled right in to this world where explosions, flying boys, black magic sand and the fact that someone wants to kill me is perfectly normal. At least, that's what's what I think is happening to me. I'm not sure if the whole thing was just a dream.

I can't tell if I want the whole thing to never have happened, or if I want the blue eyed boy to keep seeing me. It may sound crazy, but as I'm sitting in my bench in school, bored to the point where I almost falling asleep, I miss that day with all the action and magic, even though I almost died. And it has been a while since that day know. A week actually, but I still remember it like it was yesterday. Jack have come to keep an eye on me every day since, at least I think so. He said he would, to keep me safe from Pitch, just before he left after saving me and bringing me back home. I still was in a chock so I couldn't even thank him. But I think he's keeping his promise. If I'm not dreaming, I swear I get a glimpse of him every now and then. It could be in the schoolyard, on my way home, in town or outside our window when I read stories for Max and Hugo. He always smiles at me, but when I blink, he's gone like the wind.

A good thing is the fact that I don't feel the present of that creepy Pitch anymore. I haven't been dreaming nightmares for a while either. Everything seems to go back to normal and I don't usually hum or sing or dance on my way home from school, but today I feel happy and do all of those things while I think of those big, blue eyes and beautiful smile that makes me calm and tickle deep down in my belly.

"You seem to be in a good mood today."

I immediately stop my singing and dancing and turn around. Jack is sitting high above me on a streetlight with his feet dangling down and he smiles at me, a big smile that shows of his white teeth. They are almost shining like falling snow. In his hand he holds a new property I've not seen before. It's a stick, tall and frozen but I believe it's more than just a stick.

"Jack Frost", I say and smile, mostly because I don't know what else to say. Jack wrinkles his nose.

"Call me Jack. All of my friends do that", he says and slides forward. The wind captures him and puts him down safely in front of me. I prevent myself from another gasp when I see him close up. His eyes are shining like his teeth and his hoodie has small frosty stripes along his arms and chest. Even though he's quite a bit far away, I can feel this small icy breeze passing between us and I know it somehow comes from him. It makes me remember the car accident from my youth and I can't help but ask.

"We have met before, haven't we?"

Jack looks down on the ground for a second, and when he looks at me again he have something sad and apologetic in his eyes.

"I've wanted to apologize to you ever since that accident. I know I could have done more to save your parents, and I'm truly sorry."

I just stare at him for a long time. I was going to thank him for rescuing my life, not once, but twice and he seems to have been carrying this burden that he believes I think he didn't do well enough to save everyone in that car. I slowly shake my head and he keeps staring at me, like he waited for some kind of forgiveness.

"You have nothing to apologize for. I'm just happy you were there to save my life."

Jack doesn't look convinced but he nods. I don't know what to say. I have prepared a thousand things to ask him if we would end up meeting like this but it all seems to have float out of my head. But Jack is the one who ends up talking.

"You grew up too fast after that day. We used to have fun. Eight is a little young age to stop believe in fairytales, don't you think?"

He looks at me with one eyebrow lift and I don't know what to answer.

"I… I had to grow up, I didn't have any choice. I had to take care of my brothers."

"I know you did, it's just a shame I couldn't help you. But I never left your side, I hope you know that now", he says and his eyes are looking deep into mine.

"Thank you", I whisper and feel overwhelmed. "But, aren't you some kind of winter spirit? Are you having time for this? Shouldn't you make it snow all over the world like, right now?"

Jack laughs a bright, clear laughter which makes me smile.

"I forgot how little you know about me, and how much I know about you. But do you know what? Now that you see me again, we have all the time in the world to get to know each other better, right?" He spins his stick in his hand for a moment and then lean it on his shoulder. He nods towards the road in front of us as if he wanted to join me in my walk home. I smile and we start walking and talking about everything, important and less important things we've missed talking about during the long time I couldn't see him.


	6. Chapter 6

I'm now happy to call Jack my friend. When he's around there's no sad faces or boring moments. It's funny, because whatever he does, it makes me gasp or laugh, even if it's something as simple as juggle with snowballs or slide down the street with his stick as the sled. He knows me better than most of my other friends, which sometimes fells weird as I've only known him a couple of weeks. Sometimes he reminds me of when I was little and we played outside in the snow. I often don't recall any of those times, more than maybe a glimpse of a blue hoodie and an older laughter.

"So you mean you were playing snowball fight with us, even though we didn't really notice?" I ask him as we walk in the park one day. The ground is covered in a new layer of snow with kids building snowmen and throwing snowballs at each other.

"Not always, but often", he says and looks over at the playing kids. "You remember how you and your friends always blamed someone else for throwing the first snowball?"

"Yea, they never admitted, but no one cared in the end anyway."

"Well, that's because it was me."

I look at him in a way that was supposed to be angry in a playful way and he gives me the look as if he got busted. I'm close to bend my knees and make a big snowball too threw in his face, but I suddenly remember that he's invisible to nearly everyone in the park and that I would look like a crazy person if I did that, playing snowball fight with myself. So I content myself, sticking my tongue out at him and ignore the strange gaze from the passing old woman. Jack and I look over at the kids again and I wonder how many of them that can see him. Maybe one or two out of all ten, I believe. They are quite old, I would guess ten or twelve. Maybe one of them even have looked over at us quickly and then continued with their game without realizing he just laid his eyes on Jack Frost, the spirit of winter. Because face it, I bet you wouldn't notice some young barefooted boy with white hair, holding a stick if you saw him all the way across the park while try avoid getting hit by flying snowballs. Jack smiles when he looks at them and that's when I feel it. The present of someone unwelcomed. I turn around and see the gray eyes, staring at me with this intensive, graving look and I'm close to scream. Instead I grab Jacks arm and immediately feel the great relief that he's by my side. I'm so engrossed in the idea that it's me Pitch wants that I barely understand what's happening next. Jack turns around when he feels my touch and his face shows surprise for a mere second before Pitch punch of black sand hits him in his chest and throws him backwards threw the park.

"Jack!" I scream and at the same time feel a hand grab my arm.

"I told you it was serious this time, you fools", he says with a cold voice and drags me away in a fast, jagged way surrounded with black sand and it feels like we're flying.

I can't breathe. Pitch is the only thing preventing me from falling 50 feet down towards a certain death and as I know he tried to kill me before, I just sort of wait for him to drop me. I can't decide if I do want him to drop me or keep take me further away from the park. The sharp picture of Jack being powerfully pushed back makes me worried if he's hurt and my eyes tears. I'm scared, both for myself and him and I have no idea where this mad man are taking me or what his further plans are to do with me.


	7. Chapter 7

From now on the point of view will shift between Ellie and Jack, just so you know.

****Jack****

I open my eyes and feel pain all over my body. It's like someone had put me in some kind of giant bolt stock and tight it really hard. My back hurts the most and I can't focus my eyes. But I do remember everything that happened and, with a groan, I know I have to get up and find Ellie.

"Ellie?" I call out as I slowly lift my arms. They feel okay, but as soon as I merely move my back I have to bite my tongue to keep myself from screaming. It doesn't feel like anything is broken, more like the skin is on fire. But I do also feel that I'm sitting down, leaning against something, and I'm pretty sure it's a tree, which I flew right into and scratched my entire back as I slid down its bark. After a while I can see again and notice that no one in the park is aware of what just happened. My stick is lying next to me and that should make me relieved. It's not broken, like that time long ago when Pitch where close to drown every child's dreams and believes in a brighter futuer and fairytales. But because of me and my friends' refuse to ever give up, and the fact that I became a Guardian, we succeeded to defeat him and I became visible to children who believed in me. In one attempt to defeat me alone, he took one of toothfairys fairy's, babytooth, hostage and made me give him my staff in order to set her free. But he tricked me and broke not only my staff and my powers, but my self-reliance as well. He didn't believe I would bother him after that but I healed, thanks to babytooth and my memories and came after him. The fact that he broke my staff where the first step of defeating me, and if he had known I would come after him, he would have made sure to somehow finish me of when I was at my weakest point. But now my staff is unbroken. I know it's not me he wants. His goal is not do break me down, just to shove me aside and make sure I don't interrupt in his plans. But what does he want then?

When I get up, leaning on the tree, the world spins before my eyes and I feel dizzy and a bit nauseas, not to mention the enormous pain in the back. It's a great effort to just bend over and pick up my staff and I immediately turn around towards the point where Pitch showed up and surprised me and Ellie.

"Ellie?" I call out again but no one is there. I hear how an older woman mumbling to herself as she walks pass me.

"Screaming girls that flies away and disappear in the sky. I told that doctor those pills where too strong for me…"

She keep mutter about strange illusions and I realize what must have happened. As soon as I was enough far away, Pitch kidnapped Ellie and took off, probably to his ghastly hideout deep underground. But what could he want her? Why on earth would he want to kill and innocent girl? I take rate to fly away after them, but the pain in my back is too great and I fall to the ground, unable to move. I try hard to keep my consciousness but slowly fall down into the darkness.

_**Ellie**_

I'm cold, scared and I'm crying. Pitch laughs in my ear. It's like he enjoy watching me suffer. He has brought me down under the ground, somewhere where it's cold and dark. He had just put me down on the stone floor and then disappeared in the darkness. I'm not jailed or tied or anything like that but I know I can't escape. I don't know where to run. Pitch is the Boogeyman. The nightmare king. The one who knows each child's greatest fear. Jack told me that. Another tear falls down my cheek and I hear the laughter again, bouncing around the cave walls.

"Are you scared, little child?"

I don't answer him. I wish with all my heart that somebody will burst down this cave, chase the shadows away and save me, bring me as far away from this wicked place as possible. I wish Jack was here.

"You know you can't run away now", Pitch says and the gray eyes appear right in front of me.

"What do you want?" I whisper and he gives me this pity look, like he felt sorry for me.

"It's nothing personal, I ensure you. It's just a coincidence that it happens to be you of all humans that will help me gain the power I once wield. And I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice."

"What?" I manage to say confuced. Pitch turns his back against me and slowly walks away.

"I have been watching you and that pestilent teenage Frost and am quite happy to say that I finally have found my long missing partner. I know so because the moon never lies, Ellie."

He turns around and I'm now shaking. I don't know if I do so because I'm frozen or because I'm terrified. In a second he disappeared in the shadows and a voice whisper right behind me.

"Have you ever heard of The Grim Reaper, Ellie?"

His hand suddenly covers my mouth from behind and a radiating pain is piercing my body. I'm so shocked I don't even scream. Al I do is gasp as I see how the tip of a blade is sticking out from my chest and colors my clothes red. Pitch is letting go of me but leaves the knife in my chest. I can't speak. I can't breathe. I can't think. Al I know is that I suddenly lie on the ground. It's cold, just like the laughter that surrounds me and even though my eyes are wide open, I can't see.


	8. Chapter 8

_****Jack****_

The next time I open my eyes I'm somewhere warm and soft. I feel pillows and blankets but most importantly less pain in my body. I think someone has bandaged me because I feel like a wrapped package around my back and stomach.

"Jack! You're awake."

Tooth is suddenly, but not very surprisingly, right in my face to check if I'm able to see her. I blink and groan as an answer.

"Thank God. We could not believe the sight when we found you, all unconscious and everything, not to mention your injuries," she says.

"Precisely," says a deeper voice at the right in a Russian accent. "What happened to you, boy?"

"I-I was… It was… Pitch. He took off with Ellie, he kidnapped her! We must…" I answer North but can't finish my sentence as I accidently moved my body and the blazing pain in the back forces me to keep my mouth shout or I'll scream out in pain instead.

"That back is not something you can play with for a while, mate. It's a mystery how you even got them wounds, I say."

"Thanks for the information, bunny," I answer and give my surrounding a proper look. Tooth is flying in front of me, worried and caring as always with a backup of smaller fairies around her. North, with his big white beard and tattoos stands next to the Easter bunny, hairy and tall as a human. We're at the north pool, in North's working office where they seem to have put me in his bed.

"Question," I say and everyone immediately leans forward to not miss a single word from their poor friend and ally. "How bad is it? My back?"

North avoid my eyes and so do everyone in the room, including Sandy I just noticed at my left. He's quite easy to miss, as he never says a single word.

"I'm sorry, Jack. We have taken care of your wounds as good as we can, but this is the first time ever in my or anyone's time we have ever seen an immortal spirit like ourselves with such injures. We didn't even think it was possible for our kind to get wounds so similar to mortals," says North and finally meet my eyes. "You have to tell us what happened."

And I do, from the very beginning, but I just easily mention Ellie as any child at all. I don't know why, I just seem to have a hard time telling my friends about her, like I was ashamed or nervous or something, I really don't know. I haven't felt like I have to hide anything for my friends since I became a guardian, which was several years ago, but now I do and I really, really don't know why.

"… and then I lost consciousness. You probably know the rest better than me." I finish my story and the room fills with a concentrate silence.

"Jack, this girl," says Tooth and I get a hard time meeting her eyes as she talks to me. "Who is she? Maybe she has some answers. I mean, it's not every day you meet a believer that old, right?"

"I guess so," I answer hovering. "But we have to find her and save her. God knows what Pitch is doing to her right now."

"We understand that, kiddo. But you're in no condition to perform some kind of rescuing patrol. We'll find her and bring her home safely," bunny says and pat my head in an annoying big brother-way.

"But I can help. I'm the one who can stand up to Pitch. I'm the one he's most afraid of. Everyone knows that the best way for a kid to down his or her fears is to make a game out of it. That's what I've been teaching them! That's my center!"

"Not today, mate."

North, Tooth and Sandy all nod and agree with bunny and I have to give it up.

"Sandy, you stay here and keep an eye on Jack. We'll rescue that girl, it's our duty as Guardians!" says North and puts one of his fingers in the air. "To the sled!"

Bunny makes a pained sound but follows North and Tooth out of the room and I'm not sure, but I think I hear Tooth whisper to bunny just before they leave. Something about the urge to find out what there is that makes me more of a human than a spirit.


	9. Chapter 9

**Jack**

Time goes by slowly in North's office where I and Sandy try to entertain ourselves. We talk, or in Sandy's case communicate with pictures of sand, read, plays with some of North's toys and tell stories to each other. We even play I spy. But I often find myself wandering of in my thoughts, thinking about Ellie and worrying about her. I haven't said anything to Sandy, but I can't help but feel it's completely my fault we are in this situation. Face it, if I hadn't been so inattentive, Ellie wouldn't have got kidnapped and I wouldn't be lying here with my back looking like a chopped steak. I promised her. I promised Ellie, face to face, eye to eye that I would be around for her, helping her escape and avoid Pitch for whatever reason he had to hurt her. Now I feel like a complete failure. From the moment I first saw her I knew she was special. I remember that cold night like it was yesterday. The cold breeze in my hair, the cloudy sky and the trees bark under my fingers as I made sure every last leaf in them would fall and freeze on the ground. I didn't see it as a job, more like a beautiful dance of falling leaves. It was like candy for my eyes. And as I reached for the treetop with the help from the wind, I swung my staff towards the sky and snowflakes immediately started to fall and dance together with the leaves as they got closer to the ground. And I saw a car, driving alone on the road just a short distance from where I was. Then suddenly, a deer. It got scared of something, burst forth in the cold night air and ran off, heading to the highway. I saw what was about to happen. I dived as fast as I could towards the deer in an attempt to scare it off another way, but it was too late. The deer ran straight out in the road and the car made a sharp turn to avoid it. Unfortunately the turn was too sharp and the wheels lost their grip of the slippery ground. I did not think in that moment. I just knew I had to help those poor people that now were in great danger. As fast as I could, I managed to land on the hood of the car and look inside it. There were two adults in the front, terrified and screaming and in the middle of the backseat, there was a little girl with big green eyes and brown, light hair. She was stunned with fear but her eyes met mine and I knew she could see me. Before the car turned upside down, I smashed the windshield with a blast of cold and threw myself inside the car towards the little girl, wrapped my arms around her and pushed her back in the seat. As the car turned around, I could not keep her safe between me and the seat and we got tossed around as we fell down of the road.

Sandy shakes my arm which brings me back to reality. He looks at me with curiosity but I just shake my head. I don't really feel like telling him about that night. I haven't told anybody, actually. And why should I? It was an accident and I'm ashamed about my feeble action. It was by pure reflex I did something at all. And after that briefly moment of chaos, when I actually held that poor girl in my arms in the cold night, turned away from the scene with the smashed car and her two parents lying perfectly still in the snow, I knew that her life never would be the same again. Never would she see things the way she once did. Never would she play as happily as other kids. Never more could she talk or be with her parents. And that was my fault.

I slowly turn my back against Sandy, mumbling I was tired, and that was true. A drowsy feeling suddenly falls over me and I don't think I have ever in my time as a spirit wanted to sleep so badly than right now.

****Ellie****

I slowly open my eyes. The empty feeling in my head at this very moment is really hard to describe, because I can't describe anything. It's completely empty in there. I can't remember a thing. Al I can to is describe my feelings in this moment. It's overwhelming to not be able to think of anything. It's also kind of cold. Am I lying down? I am. As I sit up, I give my surrounding a closer look. I seem to be in some sort of cave underground, alone. It's huge and my weak "Hello?" disappears fast in the deep tunnels. But then I see him and I realize that I'm not alone. Someone with gray eyes is watching me. I don't say anything more, I just wait for him to say or do something, and he does.

"Child, you're awake, at last", he says and I won't lie. That wasn't what I expected to hear.

"Where am I?"

"Where you belong. My name is Pitch Black and I'm so excited to be your helping hand. You see, almost every one of us immortal spirits come to this world alone, scared and confused, but now I'm here to guide you through your new you."

"Okay…" I say and get up, thinking this guy have some seriously disturbed problems. "Immortal spirits. Do you tell me I'm an immortal spirit?"

"Yes, of course!"

"Yea, that sounds great. Do you mind… Pitch, was it? Do you mind telling me the way out of here? I kind of wanna go home," I say and turn around. The darkness is compact, but I can surprisingly see really well threw it. I even see the shape of the man when he moves around me and starts talking to my left.

"But, child, do you even know where home is? Do you know where to go?"

I stop walking and realize that he is absolutely right. The emptiness in my head is covering everything, everything that is worth to know. I concentrate really hard to remember who I am but the biggest question has no answer in my head, and Pitch is not late to point it out.

"Do you remember your own name, child?"

I don't answer him but the silence is talking for me instead.

"Well, I can tell you that your name is Elisabeth. The past belong in the past, Elisabeth, and I can't wait to show you our world. I hope you will be comfortable here," he says and reaches out for my hand. I don't know what to say. His words sound tempting and I realize I'm kind of excited too. He told me my name and he seems nice. I decide to give him a chance and take his hand.

"Okay, Pitch Black. You have my attention."

Pitch smiles at me and we start walking.

"Splendid. I believe we are going to be very good friends, Elisabeth."


	10. Chapter 10

****Ellie****

This new life of mine is amazing. I can see things I couldn't see before, like I have some sort of absurdly good acuity. Shadows and darkness is no match for me and I can feel if someone is nearby. I can't only see and hear Pitch as he walks beside me in his hideout underground, but actually feel his present, like a small globe of light is flowing inside of him that only I can feel and almost see. Pitch tells me everything I need to know. For example, he's very accurate to mention my lack of self-control and that I need to be careful with my powers until we know what they are. The more Pitch tells me, the more I realize I need him to explain this new world to me. If Pitch hadn't found me down here I could have gone really lost, both physically and mentally. He says it was mean of the moon to transform me without any preparations and that he had to take action himself to find me and help me. I'm very grateful to him and I know I own him big time.

"Elisabeth, I wish I could tell you it's all fun being one of us, but I would lie if I did. You see, my reality is not what it used to be. There are other spirits out there who tries to disturb the balance in the humans' world. You see, fear, hope and belief all need their parts in a child. I have tried to keep the balance untouched since the dark ages but a group of spirits, calling themselves Guardians, doesn't understand this. Without hope and dreams, a child is lost forever. It won't have anything to live for and it will be forced to grow up to fast. Fear is needed to make the child grow in itself. Without fear it would be blind for the moments and situations in life that is more or less glorious for it. You grow stronger inside if you defeat your fears in life. And believe is needed for us spirits. Without the children's believes we would cease to exist. This balance is needed for everyone on this earth and that, that is something these guardians don't understand."

I just look at Pitch as I get more and more confused. Not by the story, I understand the balance perfectly well but I don't get why these guardians doesn't.

"So this balance is bothered, I see. Well, what is it these guardians do that disturbs it?"

Pitch sighs and looks kind of sad all of a sudden.

"They decided to fight against me, even though I haven't done anything wrong. I'm usually busy with my duties but they surprised me one day and defeated me. I lost most of my power for a long time which caused the children in the world to not have any fears for a long time. I still have not gained all of my powers and I fear the children will grow up without this balance, making them different from the other people. Can you imagine a life without any adversities, misfortunes or willingness to fight back? They would be spoiled and blinded to what they already have, because they have nothing to compare it with."

I understand perfectly what he means. This balance is important to everyone on this world and I see that clear. So why didn't the guardians?

"I hate to have to ask this of you, Elisabeth, but would you like to be my companion in this war to save the world? We have to fight back, and I can't do it alone."

I know I have to make a choice. Even though I have only been here for a short while, I know I play a big role in this coming war. I need to save the world. It's my duty as a spirit.

"I'm onboard, partner."

**Jack**

I wake up from the loud voices in the room. North, bunny and tooth is back and I immediately push my sleepiness aside.

"Did you find her? Is she okey? Where is she?"

Everyone in the room turns their heads towards me when they hear me.

"Jack, you're awake", says North and draws his fingers threw his beard. "I'm afraid we have bad news."

It's like something heavy falls down my chest and land somewhere deep in my belly. I want to know the news and at the same time I don't.

"What is it?" I manage to say.

"Pitch's hideout was empty. Either he or the girl was anywhere to be found. We will keep searching, but the chances to find them are small. I'm afraid we can't do much more then wait for him to show up. We're playing on his terms now."

North's news were really bad news. Every second passing Pitch could do god knows what with Ellie and here they were, unable to do anything to help her.

"I can't believe he really got her. If I just hadn't been…" but I don't get to end my sentence as a weird sound is coming from my stomach. I get kind of surprised and unknowingly spanning my body which of course makes it hurt like hell in my back.

"What was that?" I ask kind of afraid and North laughs loudly.

"Jack Frost. Are you hungry?" he asks and make eye contact with an elf which immediately runs out of the room.

"Hungry?"

I don't really know what he means. Could I really be hungry? But I'm the spirit of fun and I have never in my 320 years of living ever eaten anything. I haven't felt hunger since I was a human and I don't really remember the feeling either, just assuming it could be the case.

"But… I never eat anything…" I say confused.

"You don't?" Tooth puts her hands over her mouth and Bunnymund gasps. North slowly turn towards me and he's looking at me in a way he have never done before. I guess I understand why. Different spirits have different personalities, needs and remaining connection to the mortal self, before they became spirits. North, for example, eats a lot and I have seen Sandy sleep several of times. I'm not one of them, just like toothfairy and Bunnymund. I never sleep or eat and it suddenly hit me that I just woke up, which means I just slept which must be the first time for me ever in this world. Of course you can force someone to eat or sleep, but it's never ever a need to us. As my friends are looking at me like I was dying I get a little scared too. What was happening to me?


	11. Chapter 11

**Jack**

The few weeks that passed by including me lying perfectly still at the north pole where some of the worst weeks in my entire life. I had to let my friends take care of me and to get out of the bed where out of the question. Maybe once every second day, I felt this new feeling of hunger and ate whatever was put in front of me. I also slept several of times and that without Sandy having to knock me out. The strange feeling of not being able to keep my eyes open and slowly fall down in a quiet slumber was scary, but at the same time calming. I also thought of Ellie every day, worrying about her. But then the day came when Sandy changed my bandages and he had some god news.

"What is it?" I ask when he doesn't wrap me in with new bandages and instead gives me two thumbs up. "I'm all good?"

Sandy points over at the morrow on the wall and I walk over to it. I'm pale, as usual and then I turn around and see the scars Pitch has caused me for life. They move all the way from my left shoulder down below my pants. It's glowing in a pink and fragile color but when I touch it, I don't feel very much pain.

"Wow, I don't really know what to say. Thanks, I guess."

Sandy smiles at me. I smile back, reach for my hoodie and put it on. My staff is leaning on the wall besides my bed and as I grab it, I feel my power return like a river of strength.

"Thanks for taking care of me, Sandy. I really would have been screwed without you. Tell the others thanks from me. I own you big time." I say as I walk over to the window, but Sandy moves in my way, stopping me from going anywhere. "What?"

Sandy shakes his finger in front of me, telling me I should stay.

"Why? I got my strength back. I need to go out there and find Ellie, as well as bringing snow to the children. I've been gone like forever and they probably miss my fun time."

Sandy looks kind of unhappy with my excuses to leave the bed and I feel my irritation rise.

"Sandy, please. Don't be like that. I promise I'll be back soon. The others won't even notice I was gone, trust me."

Sandy sights but move out of the way. He puts two fingers in the air and I nod.

"Two hours, got it."

I give him a pat on the shoulder and climes up the windowsill. I carefully try lifting a little over the ground, and when that's no problem I throw myself out in the air. I have really missed the feeling of cold air threw my hair and the feeling of freedom that flying gives me. I'm just really happy it's not one of the things that are changing inside of me.

****Ellie****

I need to find these Guardians. I need to restore the worlds balance. Pitch told me that even if these spirits are in some kind of gang, they don't really often get together, only if there's an emergency or a similar situation. I think that's a good thing according to how I think I have to act while playing my game. I need to get inside of their warzone, to be their allied. Then I might convince them that what they do is wrong and if they don't listen, well, then I guess I have to convince them by using force.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Ellie**_

_"Oh, and one more thing, Elisabeth. Jack Frost has not only the power of winter and ice, he also have a habit to manipulate people. Usually he uses words and stories to make the victim believe him and soon they trust him as a brother or a husband. You need to be aware that he might tell you stories about you and him and use your lack of memories against you. It's not a pretty story as he's able to make others do things for him and even trick them to places, dangerous places they might not come back from. So please, my friend, be careful."_

I remember Pitch's words perfectly as I walk down a hill. It's weird, because it's in the middle of January and the snow on the ground seems to melt already. When I bend over and feel it with my hand the snow is all wet, which means it's plus degrees outside. Plus degrees in January? Come on, Jack Frost, you lazy troublemaker. Then I hear a gust above me and look up. A young boy with white hair and a blue hoodie are flying fast over the valley. In his chest, there is a small globe of light. Unlikely Pitch's, his light shines brighter and in a silvery color. He's holding a big stick in his hand and it seems like he's heading for the human town a couple of miles south from here. According to the description I got from Pitch it's no doubt. That is definitely Jack Frost. So I start running. I keep an eye on the spirit above me and jumps over fallen trees and stone blocks with ease. The race is awakening my willing to win and I somehow manage to speed up even more. And then more, and more. I'm rushing through the woods and meadows in such a high speed I'm sure a mortal would not even see me. Soon I caught up with Jack and then passing him with ease and I feel that I'm having fun. But when I reach the town I have to remember that fun-time is over. I will let him find me, and then I can get to know this boy a little better.

****Jack****

The town is getting closer and I'm flying as fast as I can. I have no idea where Ellie can be but I will not just sit around, rolling my thumbs while waiting for Pitch to act. I have to do something or I'll go mad. Without me even noticing, I have arrived to the place where I last saw her, where she was taken and I wounded. The park seems to be normal. Adults are walking around, some with strollers and some with their kids hanging in their arm. Some of them even, and this makes me really surprised, are walking pass without cap or gloves, not even a scarf to keep worm.

"Big mistake, guys. Jack Frost is back and he's cooler than ever", I mumble before I start running and with high speed drag my staff on the ground behind me, leaving a track of freezing cold. It doesn't take long before the first mother yells out to her little boy to close his jacket and I can't help but laugh. Snow falls from the sky the next moment and the children who just played hopscotch screams out with joy and tries to catch the snowflakes in their mouth.

"It's a second first snowday!" says a little girl happy and I mess around in her hair as I fly pass.

"Don't forget your gloves next time!" I say and her face goes from confused to overwhelmed and happy as she sees me.

"Jack Frost! It's Jack Frost! I knew he was real, did you see that?" she screams and her friends all stand with open mouths, jumping and pointing at me. I laugh again, knowing it will take some time before these children forget about this moment. I take another round with my staff to make sure the ground is really frozen and when I'm done I jump up on the staff, balancing on it and watch the children play. Then I see her. Over by the fountain stands a girl with dark, long hair and she is wearing the same clothes she wore the day Pitch took her. She's staring at me and for a second I can't breathe. If my heart had pounded, it surely would have skipped a beat.

"Ellie!"

I jump down and starts running towards her. When I reach her point I don't really think, I just do what falls me in and throw my arms around her.

"How did you get here? How are you? What happened?" I ask and hold her an arm's length from me. She looks at me and I suddenly see the change. She looks like before, but now her eyes are darker, her skin paler and she looks at me with vigilance.

"Jack… hi", she says and smiles. "I'm sorry, I haven't really… I don't…"

She looks down and says nothing more.

"What did that monster do to you? How did you manage to escape?

Her new look is making me kind of nervous. Something has happened to her. Something wrong.

"Um, you mean Pitch? Yea, I got out… somehow. I don't remember much. All I know is that the world has change… I can see things I couldn't see before. I feel different inside."

She puts one hand on her forehead like she was dizzy.

"You say you don't remember much… but what did Pitch say? You do remember me, right? You remember Pitch was after you and that day in the park? When he threw me aside and took off with you? You remember who you are? Your name?" I say more and more nervous. I think I know what happened to her but I don't want to realize that's true. For a second I think I see fear and anger in her eyes, but then she shakes her head.

"Of course I remember you and my name as well. The rest is kind of blurry, though. I'm confused. Jack, what's going on?" she says and I see she have tears in her eyes.

"Ellie, don't be afraid, I'm here. I'm sorry, so sorry." I say and hug her again. How could I have let this happen? Ellie is not a human anymore. She has become a spirit with black spots in her memories but she's lucky she remember anything at all, unlike my transformation. Then I suddenly remember that it's snowing and my hug probably makes Ellie freeze, so I quickly let go of her.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be near you if you don't want to turn into an ice cube."

"No, it's okey. I don't really feel the cold anymore."

I smile at her, not knowing if I should show my pity for her or not.

"Come", I say and grab her hand. "There are some people I want you to meet."

Once again I see a fast glimpse of uncertainty in her face.

"Don't worry, they are my friends. It's quite a long way to fly though, but we aren't in a hurry, hu?"

"Naw, I guess not. I trust you. Let's go", she says and we take off up in the sky, watching the people, the park and the town grow smaller underneath us.


	13. Chapter 13

**Jack**

"Jack Frost, what were you thinking?!"

I haven´t even touched the windowsill with my toes yet before the strong, old man grabs my hoodie and pulls me inside.

"Do you want to faint out there in the snow again? Do you want pitch to find you, huh? Do you?" North screams in my face.

"Relax, old man. I'm okay, my back is just fine", I say before I pull myself out of his grip. "I was just out for a few hours and if you weren´t so busy yelling, you would have seen that I brought someone with me."

North opens his mouth as to interrupt me but closes it when he looks over at the window. Ellie is standing quiet with her hands behind her back and her eyes are flickering around the room as she tries to avoid eye contact with North. In a second, North has taken the few steps over the floor, pulled her up and given her a big hug as he laughs in a way only Father Christmas can.

"Ellie, how wonderful to see you! Jack has been like a dead person since you disappeared. I understand you two are very good friends. What happened? Where did he find you, my child?"

Ellie looks like she don´t know if she´s supposed to laugh or cry when North puts her down again, but she manage to give him a smile.

"Well, thank you sir. Yes, Jack and I are close friends. Aren´t we, Jack?" she says and turns towards me. I don't know why but when she says that and looks at me, I can feel my cheeks heat and I can't really remember what she just said. Did she talk to me? I had forgotten how bright her eyes were when she looked at me like that.

"Uh… What´s that now?"

"I said that we are close friends, right?" Ellie said and shook her head in a playful way to show them both how silly she thought he was. "Nothing beats a trustful friend like sweet, old Jack."

She laughed, or more like giggled in her hand before she turned to North again.

"I´m sorry, sir. But I believe I don´t know who you are, even though you seem to know me."

Those words was al enough for the old man to grab Ellie´s shoulders and show her the way to his workshop, leaving me all alone in the room, but it didn´t really bother me. My guess is that I need to think things through so I lean my staff against the wall and sits down on the bed with my head in my hands. I had missed Ellie, of course I had, what kind of friend would I be if I hadn´t been worried about her health? And of course we are close to each other, we are friends. So why did her words hurt so much? She cares, she´s kind and she just said that I´m trustful and sweet. Why in heavens name do I feel like this, al shaky and my heart beats like crazy? And why does it feel like she might just as well had hit me in the face before she left the room?

**Ellie**

Wow, Santa Clause, for real? Well, I guess that if Jack Frost and Pitch Black exist it would have been weird if Father Christmas hadn´t. But I have to remember that the old man, who is walking next to me and showing me all of his elves and toys, probably already have been slaved under Jacks mystical hypnosis for quite some time. Whatever they say might be a lie and as soon as I start to believe anything he says or trust him just a little bit, I have to get out of here so I don´t let Pitch down. But maybe I already know how to deal with this situation, cause I admit it, I got scared when North asked Jack to confirm the fact that we two were friends. What if he had opened his mouth and started making up our past and I immediately would have believed him. I couldn´t take that chance so I started to talk myself, partly to make Jack shut up but also to give him a hint that he might not need to use full strength in his magical words against me after all, because I already was confused and believed that we actually have a past together. That I´m such an easy target that he doesn´t have to blur with my head at al. Anyway, I won´t let these guys mess with the worlds balance, as true as my name is Elisabeth.


	14. Chapter 14

**Ellie**

"So all I have to do I concentrate?"

"Well, I didn´t need to concentrate my first time as a spirit. It just came out, sort of."

"Okey, so what do I do then?"

"It shouldn´t be hard to find out what your specification is, are you sure nothing is different from when you were a human? Or have you ever done something weird al of a sudden? Can you see or feel anything different?"

"No", I lie and Jack starts tapping his staff on the ground absently while he ponders. We are standing in the middle of a meadow in a forest a few miles from the nearest village. Jack thought it would be a good idea if we could figure out why I came back from the dead because, according to him, every spirit that returns has a mission to fulfill in this world. Of course I can't trust him and it starts to irritate me. I feel like I don´t listen to him at all and I would never tell him about my new powers. The fact that nothing can hide from me in the darkness, that every living thing has a floating globe of light in their chests and that I can run faster than any car. If he knew this, he could make something up and make me believe I am something I´m not, and that could be dangerous. No, for now I´ll just gain their trust, Jacks and his friends, and then later on make them stop their madness. I don't know how but Pitch told me I´m the only one who could help him so I guess it has something to do with me coming back from the dead. Maybe my powers are the only thing that can, in big words, save the world. Maybe it has something to do with the floating lights I can see. I have recently noticed that every light behaves differently. Depending on which person it lies in, it changes color, brightness and sometimes shape. I have also noticed that the light in the children's chests shines brighter than the adults and also that the light in every spirit I've met somehow feels colder and nonliving, maybe because they´re not actually alive, just a shadow of themselves when they lived. I wish I knew what it meant. Although, there´s some things that I don't get. At the beginning, Jack´s light was just as cold and dull as North´s but with time, I can see that it changes more dramatically than any other light I´ve seen. It shines more and more in a golden shade and sometimes it pounds, like the beat of a heart. I won´t lie. I´m dying of curiosity to ask him what is going on so he could help me figure it out. But I guess I just have to wait until I meet Pitch again. He could surely help me.

****Jack****

"Here, try this."

Ellie gives me a confused look when I put the tiny rock in her hand.

"Come on then", I say and take a small step back. Ellie closes her fingers around the rock and for a slight second I think she´s actually going to do what I asked her to, but she only shakes her head.

"Sorry, what?"

I stop myself from sighting loud and take the rock back instead.

"Okay, you tell me what the problem is, right now."

"Problem?"

"Yes, you haven´t been yourself lately. It´s like you don´t listening to me."

"I don´t listening?"

"Yea and, you see, if you´re gonna repeat everything I say, this conversation is gonna take twice the time." I say and cross my arms over my chest. I have to find out what the problem is because I know something´s wrong. She hasn´t been herself since she came back from Pitch and the worst thing is that she seems to think she´s playing way too good for me to notice any difference in her behaving, but I thought she knew me better by now. I´ve been keeping an eye on her for many years, like many other children, and she has never act like this before. She´s hiding something from me, and it hurts that she won´t share it with me. I thought we were friends.

"I´m sorry, Jack. I guess I´m just tired and there´s nothing to worrying about. I´m fine, just a little bit… unfocused." She says and smiles at me. I know that there isn´t much for me to do if she has decided to stay quiet but I want her to know I´m always here for her. Maybe I can still be a support for her, whatever there is she keeps for herself. Who knows what happened at Pitch´s hideout. Maybe it´s understandable that she don´t want to talk about it.

"Okay, but please, pay attention when I´m trying to help you."

"Of course" she says and smiles again. When she does that, there´s something in my chest that gets all worm and tickling. Just like that time back at North´s place. What is that feeling? Suddenly, I´m not the only one who notice my reaction, it seems. Ellie stares at me with curiosity and points at my chest with a pale finger.

"Are you feeling anything different right now than you did before?"

Two things flies threw my mind when she asks that. How in heavens name did she know that and for whatever reason I can´t explain, she must definitely not ever know why.

"No! Or I mean… no…" The heat is getting worse and it actually feels like I´m burning up. Ellie takes a step forward and one part of me gets excessive and ridiculously happy, while another part of me is screaming that what is about to happen is very, very bad.

"Let me just see…" she says and reach out a hand. I stand still, not knowing what to do. At the moment her hand touches my cheek, it´s like an electric shock is going threw my body and I can´t control myself anymore. It hurts and the heat in my chest is unbearable, but I´m so shocked I don´t scream when my vision gets blurry and I feel my knees hit the ground.

"Oh my God, Jack, what happened? Are you, okay? Please, answer me!"

I can hear her but I can´t say anything. My body still shrugs and I can´t do anything to prevent myself from falling head first in the snow. It hurts like hell and I can´t breathe.

"H… help… me…"

"Jack, stay with me! Can you hear me, Jack? Jack!"

Ellie´s screams and the cold snow in my face is the last thing I know before it all goes black and I fall down, losing consciousness.


	15. Chapter 15

****Jack****

I can hear children laugh. My body disobeys me and I can neither see nor move. All there is, is the children's laughter. They´re talking to each other and tempting one another to join them in their game. I know they´re outside. They´re playing in the snow. The very first snow day. I would recognize that giggling and excitement anywhere. I´m happy for them. I wish I could see them and maybe play with them.

"You can´t catch me!"

"Wait for me!"

"Watch out, he´s coming!"

The children´s voices are growing to higher and elated screams and I believe someone is chasing them for fun.

"Watch out! There he is!"

"Catch us if you can!"

"Yes, you can´t catch us, we´re too fast!"

"Jack, you´re too slow!"

I get a cold feeling all over my body when I hear that the children are calling out my name.

"Jackson is never fast enough!"

"Jack I´m gonna tell Emma you´re the slowest boy in this town!"

"We won´t fall for your tricks this time, Jack!"

Then I hear an elder boys voice, laughing and I know he´s smiling.

"Don´t be too pleased with yourselves, I just… let me just… catch my breath… before I… I catch you…"

"Stop tricking us!"

"Emma, don´t go close, he´s just plays tricks again!"

"Emma, you can´t outrun him if you´re that close to him!"

"Aha! I got you, Emma! I tricked you good!"

The boys laughter rings together with a little girls and I can imagine how they´re tossing around in the snow. It´s a memory. A memory from my childhood and my time as a human. I´m playing with the children of the small village I grew up in, but more important, I´m playing with my sister. I miss her, incredibly much.

"Jack?"

This voice is different. It´s closer and not a part of my dream. I open my eyes and I´m back at the north pole. I´m lying in North´s bed, again, and Tooth is sitting next to me. Her eyes are filled with anxiety but she smiles when she sees I´m awake.

"Oh, what a relief. You were talking in your sleep so I thought you were about to wake up."

I rub my eyes and open my mouth in a big yawn. This whole sleep-thing is still new to me and I´m not sure if I like it or not. My friends don´t, and they aren´t afraid to hide it from me.

"How are you feeling?" she asks and I have to think for a moment before I realize what she´s talking about. I remember the stunning pain and the cold ground underneath me and that I passed out, but what happened next?

"I´m okay, I think…" I answer her and take a closer look around the room. There´s no one there except for me and Tooth and I can suddenly smell something. I think it´s ham and my stomach is rumbling at the same time I spot a sandwich on a plate on the nightstand behind Tooth. She immediately hands it over to me but she doesn´t look too happy about it.

"I thought you would be hungry. Just don´t choke from it, okay." She wrinkles her nose but I´m too hungry to care about her negative attitude about my new, more humanly, habits. Just to tease with her, I take an extra big bite of the sandwich while I rub my belly.

"Sweet mother of food", I say and she punches me on my arm.

"Don´t be so full of yourself. You don´t know where this is going or that´s going on with you. You´re obviously changing. Isn´t that scaring you? What happened to you anyway? Why did you pass out like that?"

We are both quiet while I chew the bread and then swallow it.

"I don't know" I answer her and I´m absolutely honest. "I way outside with Ellie and we… where is she, anyway?"

Tooth raises her eyebrows. "I didn´t know you two were together. She wasn´t there when I found you."

I get a cold feeling in my stomach when she says that.

"You mean I was all alone?"

Tooth nods and I don't understand. Her touch and screams is the last thing I remember. Why did she leave me? Is it possible that she just went off while I was lying there cramping and in desperate need of help? No, she would never do that. But I know she´s been acting weird lately. Is it possible that she had seen this coming? Her touch was the last thing that happened before I collapsed. Was it her meaning to do this? Would she actually… hurt me and then run off, leaving me for death?

"Jack, you look pale. What´s wrong?"

"Nothing, I just… I need to be alone. I´m sorry."

I can´t even look at Tooth right now. I feel sick. Before she can protest, I get of the bed and almost run towards the window. My body still feels sore when I move and I get dizzy when I throw myself out and let the wind catch me. I can´t believe it, I just can´t. Why would she do something like that? I try to think realistic but there´s an evil voice in my head that constantly reminds me of Ellie´s betrayal. It hurts so bad I have no other choice than to land near a frozen lake when my head keeps spinning and unwelcomed tears makes it hard for me to see a thing. I slowly walk towards the lake while the question "Why?" keeps rolling in my head. I look down only to see my own reflection. Pale and week. Not the person you look up to or even want to help when he desperately need it. Is this what Ellie sees when she looks at me? Does she see the same person I see? I always wanted her to be happy when I was around. I wanted to make her smile and laugh, just like she made me do. I thought we had something special between us. It turned out I was wrong.

****Ellie****

"Pitch! Pitch Black!"

I stormed down the dark path down to Pitch´s hideout. Out of my breath and scared near death, I soon spot him over by his big globe. He first looks pleased to see me but immediately looks concerned when he realizes something´s wrong.

"Elisabeth, what´s happening?"

"Pitch, there´s no time to explain! I did something terrible, you have to help me! Jack is dying! You have to help him, please!"

As soon as the words leaves my mouth I somehow, just now, realize it´s true and tears bursts out my eyes like a waterfall. The sight of Jack, lying down with his face grinning in pain and weak words for help is more than I can bear. In less than a second I have run up to Pitch and grabbed his hand.

"Come on! He´s not too far away, we have to help him!"

"Elisabeth, calm down. Just take a deep breath before we do anything rash."

"But… We…"

Pitch gives me a calm but demanding look and I force myself to stand still and take a deep breath. He then strikes my hand with his and his calm actually makes me calmer.

"Now, will you please tell me what happened before anything else?"

I really don't want to wait a second more than absolutely necessary, but Pitch deserves an explanation so I tell him the story as fast as I could without making it too incoherent. But before I´m halfway through, Pitch interrupts me.

"Now, Elisabeth, I´m sorry to say that this boy succeeded to trick you. I know it sounds crazy but will you just let me show you what he´s doing right now, so you will believe me?"

I don´t get it. Jack didn´t trick me, I accidently used my power, which scares me crazy, to hurt him. I somehow made him ill and I need to help him. I can´t tell why, but there´s something with that boy, something special. I care too much about him for just having met him. There´s something more than my eyes sees, something I can´t put my finger on. Pitch suddenly uses some of his power to make a mirror of black sand, hanging perfectly still in middle air. There´s an image taking shape in it and I look at it with surprised respect.

"I didn´t know you could do that", I say but Pitch shushes me and we look at the image together. What I see makes me some near heartbroken and furious. Jack is rising from the ground, sweeping the snow from his clothes and laughs. Out from the trees comes North, a big bunny, a golden little man and a green fairy, and I know they´re all together, what they call themselves, the Guardians. They all laugh. The bunny puts an arm around Jacks shoulders and they laugh like they haven´t had more fun in their entire life. Jack points in the direction I ran to get help and he makes faces and imitates a little girl that freaks out before everyone burst out laughing even more. Pitch makes the sand faith away and I just stand there. I don´t know what to say. I feel so stupid. I was so careful the whole time to not make Jack trick me with his stories and lies, and yet here I stand, blown away by his little show and I can´t help but feel like he have betrayed me. He was supposed to help me find out what my powers was and he was just acting. All along. Just acting.

"Elisabeth, I understand how you must be feeling. This was a very dirty trick and I don´t think he should get away with this. I say it´s time for us to act. Let's take this evil group down before they do any more damage. We won´t sneak anymore. We will prepare a strike back."

I know Pitch´s right. I can feel a rage rise from within me and I swear I´ll let Jack pay for what he just did. He just made himself a new, dangerous enemy, as true as my name is Elisabeth.

"You can count me in, partner."


End file.
